• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The proposed P7.6 billion budget of the Negros Occidental provincial government for 2026, is now up for final discussions by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Tuesday.
This was after the SP committee on Finance, chaired by Board Member Marxlen dela Cruz, completed the budget deliberations of all Capitol departments last week.
Dela Cruz said the proposed budget will be formally presented to the SP during its regular session on December 2 for further discussions, before it will be elevated to the second reading, and approved on its third and final reading.
He raised the possibility that some amendments may be raised on the budget next year, especially on the recovery effort of the province, in connection with the damage caused by Typhoon Tino.
The budget is a 17.98 percent increase from the previous year, largely due to a higher National Tax Allotment (NTA) and improved local revenue generation.
The proposal allocates P7.32 billion for the General Fund and P294.6 million for the Economic Enterprise Development Department (EEDD).
Vice Governor Jose Benito Alonso earlier said that they are aiming to approve the proposed P7.6 billion budget within the first week of December.*
